“With great openness and courage, we need to question how widespread is the culture of life today among individual Christians, families, groups and communities in our Dioceses. With equal clarity and determination, we must identify the steps we are called to take in order to serve life in all its truth.” (Evangelium vitae, 95) Do we genuinely welcome LIFE in our parish communities?
Walking with Moms in Need is a time of service in which Catholic parishes and communities "walk in the shoes" of local pregnant and parenting women in need. Any woman who is facing a challenging or unexpected pregnancy – or who is parenting young children in difficult or unexpected circumstances – needs to know that the Church is a place where she can find help!
Everyone should know how to help moms in difficult circumstances. Everyone in the parish community should know where to refer a pregnant or parenting woman in need.
While not trying to turn Catholic parishes into pregnancy centers, we can support local pregnancy centers where they exist, and we can also find and share other resources with pregnant and parenting women.
And where there are few local resources, we can create our own, based on the gifts of the parish community!
We hope you and your parish will join us in Walking with Moms in Need.
Walking with Moms in Need is a nationwide—yet parish-based—initiative to increase outreach and support to pregnant and parenting mothers in need that is greatly supported by our diocese!
As Pope Francis has shared, “Our parishes NEED to be islands of mercy in the midst of a sea of indifference.”
WWMIN is a deliberate process and whole-church response whose purpose is to help facilitate the accompaniment of mothers in need at the parish level. The goal of Walking with Moms is not to reinvent the wheel or turn parishes into pregnancy centers; rather, it is about building relationships with and enhancing referrals to these helping agencies.
This initiative is unique in that it asks every Catholic parish to prayerfully place themselves in the shoes of a mother in need and walk with her throughout the difficulties and challenges she faces. Walking with Moms also hopes to identify new parish leaders and empower the clergy and laity to make a positive impact together.
Walking with Moms in Need seeks to answer St. John Paul II’s call to evaluate how the Church serves mothers facing difficulties:
“With great openness and courage, we need to question how widespread is the culture of life today among individual Christians, families, groups and communities in our Dioceses. With equal clarity and determination we must identify the steps we are called to take in order to serve life in all its truth.” (EV 95)
While we know that the Church provides immeasurable assistance to mothers in need through its extensive network of social services, Walking with Moms in Need asks us to evaluate these services and identify gaps and to consider how these services are communicated to parishioners, the larger community, and those most in need of support.
Walking with Moms in Need is not designed to compete with ongoing pregnancy resource ministries, but rather to enhance and unify our efforts. Together, we can work towards the day when any pregnant or parenting mother in need can turn to her local Catholic parish and be connected to supportive, life-affirming help.
WWMIN Introductory Webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kOPGKo3Vqw
Parish Resources: https://www.walkingwithmoms.com/parish-resources
Sample Parish Responses: https://www.walkingwithmoms.com/sample-parish-responses
Educational Materials: https://www.walkingwithmoms.com/educational-materials
Tools & Templates: https://www.walkingwithmoms.com/supplemental-tools
Logos & Images: https://www.walkingwithmoms.com/image-gallery
Reprinting Permission: https://www.walkingwithmoms.com/reprinting-guidelines
All provided sample timelines can be fully customized for parishes to implement Walking with Moms in Need at any time. They are designed to be adjusted to account for other schedules or events, and parishes are enouraged to move at the pace that works best for them.
Our diocesan staff is eager and ready to help your parish in any way they can. In addition to answering general questions, our staff can address specific parish needs, assist you in reviewing diocesan resources, and support you in finding creative solutions to better serve mothers in need.
For more information or to bring Walking with Moms in Need to your parish, contact:
Mary von Carlowitz
216-696-6525 x2335
mvoncarlowitz@dioceseofcleveland.org
Thank you for helping to make your parish and our diocese a place of welcome, support, and assistance to pregnant and parenting mothers in need.
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